George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The short statement I wish to make is in relation to the report, and I thank opposition senators for the indulgence. I had planned to follow Senator O’Brien in the debate because I had anticipated some of the things that might fall from his lips. Let me set the record straight on two matters: firstly, the matter of the process by which the consideration of this report was embarked on and, secondly, the allegation that the report of the committee does not represent a balanced view of the evidence. In relation to the first matter, what had been agreed among the committee informally was that a draft would be circulated by the close of business on the Monday and the report would be tabled on the Thursday of the same week. At the time those agreements were made informally with the non-government members of the committee, there was no controversy about them whatsoever. In fact, the chair’s draft was circulated not at the close of business on Monday but on Tuesday morning, about three hours after the commencement of business. But the tabling of the report, in view of that delay of some three hours, was delayed from the usual time after housekeeping matters this morning till after question time this afternoon. So in fact the period of time between the circulation of the chair’s draft and the debate on the report was longer, not briefer, than had been informally agreed among senators.